Sleek lines, bold colors, ergonomic designs--today's home
offices are getting quite a makeover. Gone are the days of
predictable, drab work spaces. Think more along the lines of style,
comfort and innovation. It's all part of a movement toward
modernism, and office furniture manufacturers remain front-runners
in the trend.

Consider conceptual configurations like Haworth Inc.'s Flo
(storage unit shown at right). Although still just an abstract
vision in the testing stages, this lavender and honey-colored
workstation attempts to create an environment that enhances both
intellectual and creative tasks (a discipline known as cognitive
ergonomics). How is that accomplished? By providing the user with
an organizational system patterned after that of the mind. For
instance, the Flo sports an upright shelf along the desk's back
edge designed to display all work-in-progress. And to keep all
documents in check, matching storage units offer a cubbyhole-like
system for paper organization.

Could this be the wave of the future? Perhaps. But until concept
products from companies like Haworth hit the market, consumers
ready to modernize their home office workstations need look no
further than European furniture maker Vitra Inc. Vitra's Ad Hoc
Office System (below), which costs about $2,270, is said to
encourage change, productivity, reorganization and
concentration--all the elements necessary to support tomorrow's
nontraditional, ever-changing work environment. The lightweight
desk is available in either right- or left-handed versions.
Optional accessories (in green, orange, blue or gray) include the
Storage Box, a small desktop bookshelf; and the CPU Box, which
organizes your electrical cables and doubles as a desk leg.

For those seeking a simpler, more affordable option, Agio
Designs Inc.'s Soho Desk (far left) may be the solution. A
winner at last year's Industrial Design Excellence Awards,
which recognize innovative, visually appealing products created
with ecological responsibility in mind--the Soho Desk comes in
various sizes, with the option of adding a raised shelf for your
monitor, lamp or other office accessory. Besides ergonomic comfort,
a real benefit to users is the built-in cable management system
that hides cables and wires. The desktop comes in natural or black
cherry; additional surfaces can be attached for a larger work
space. The cost (with the shelf) starts at $509.

Room With A View

Are you Tired of working in a windowless office? Then try
lighting maker Bio-Brite Inc.'s faux, electrically lighted
window for a change of scenery. Simply hang it on your wall like a
picture, plug it into an electrical outlet, and
voilÃ --you'll be staring at a sunny English garden, a warm
Hawaiian beach, a plush golf course or even a scenic photograph of
your choice.

It may sound like a phony substitute (actually, it is), but the
Window-Lite is helpful to those cooped up inside all day: In a
recent Arizona State University study, participants rated
artificial windows almost as desirable as the real thing in terms
of long-term comfort and productivity.

To order, call (800) 621-LITE. The cost starts at $149.95.

Lighten Up

Believe it or not, your eyes burn more calories in the average
day than your legs do. Not too surprising when you consider their
exhaustive daily cycle: shutting down when exposed to brightness
and opening up in dim conditions, over and over again, a million
times each day.

"When you take your glasses off and rub your eyes, you have
tired eyes," says Mark Roush of Philips Lighting Co. in
Somerset, New Jersey. "That's natural. That's real.
That's the musculature in your eyes burning a great deal of
calories."

Although eye fatigue is not entirely preventable, the proper
illumination in your home office can help you avoid at least some
of the strain. According to Roush, "We need to work in a space
that's uniformly bright. That will aid tremendously in comfort
and the ability to focus."

He says your best bet--albeit difficult to achieve--is an
all-white, evenly lighted room with no windows and with white
furniture, white floors and white wallpaper, so that light reflects
off all surfaces. "That's what you should always lean
toward," Roush says. The more contrasting the colors (like a
dark mahogany desk on white carpet), the more work your eyes must
do.

With that in mind, here are some lighting recommendations, to be
used alone or in combination, to help you attain visual-friendly
surroundings:

Fluorescent lighting is always a good bright-light source, and
it's available in 40 shades of white light. Make sure light
comes from more than one direction; if your office dimensions are 8
feet by 10 feet, for example, you'd want four fluorescent
fixtures.

Wall sconces direct light upward. "The ceiling then
becomes a uniform plane of brightness and reflects down to the work
surface," says Roush.